Ska beats and politically charged lyrics—two great things that taste great together. Just ask Dave Wakeling, touring once again with the English Beat. Of course, the group also wrote lighthearted pop to go along with their social commentary—note “Save It for Later”, recently covered by Pearl Jam. Here, Wakeling talks about the band’s past and revival.—Robin Cook

When was the last time you saw people crowd-surfing at a dance club? Unless you caught MSTRKRFT’s DJ set at Vice on Saturday night, the answer is probably “never”. Still, it’s not too surprising that the Toronto duo would have that sort of affect on a crowd, especially given the fact that Jesse F. Keeler was once one half of Death From Above 1979. While the duo’s late night DJ set definitely got the crowd moving, it left a bit to be desired in the originality department. Must every electro set nowadays be built around Daft Punk and Justice samples?

Best Friends Forever are from Minneapolis. Best Friends Forever are two girls and one boy. Best Friends Forever play pop songs about Presidents and love and other cute things. Best Friends Forever sometimes have puppets onstage during their sets. Best Friends Forever play instruments like keyboards and glockenspiels and even the recorder, which I used to play in the 3rd grade. Best Friends Forever are my new favorite band.